Maine Jeweler “All Shook Up” Over Elvis Watch

September 28, 2011byDaniel Ford

Windham Jewelers inWindham, Maine, drew huge crowds in August when it displayed a 14k gold Hamilton watch once owned by Elvis Presley. “It was a complete frenzy,” says owner Kathy Byrnes. “We had a Jackie Kennedy piece [once], but it didn’t get this much attention.”

The Tankers, one of the original Elvis fan clubs, gave The King the timepiece when he returned from military ­service in 1960. Windham Jewelers eventually sold it for $24,000 to an anonymous buyer, who will use it to raise money for a children’s hospital in Massachusetts.

Because of the overwhelming reaction to the promotion, Byrnes is already thinking ahead to next year. “I’ll find something from the Beatles,” she says. “But nobody beats Elvis.”